Surveyor makes order out of chaos for evacuees

Willie Bans

SAN DIEGO – Early Monday, Bob Hagrer received word that his employer didn't want non-essential personnel working. That meant him.

About 11 a.m., he went to Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego County's largest evacuation site for wildfire refugees. Once there, he saw pile after unorganized pile of food, from Cup Noodles to canned peaches. So Hagrer, a surveyor for the state, diagrammed what looked like a layout for Costco, grabbed the dozens of volunteers and created a system.

Before sundown, a commissary was created. He was managing lunch breaks and had a long list of phone numbers to keep track of volunteers.

“I didn't approach it in an authoritative manner,” said Hagrer, who lives in Pine Valley.

Mayor Jerry Sanders applauded those like Hagrer during a 6:40 p.m. speech at the stadium, joking at a news conference that it seemed there were more volunteers than evacuees.

The news conference offered little comfort to potential fire victims. San Diego Deputy Fire Chief Brian Fennessy said the winds were expected to calm, and the fire was nowhere near controlled enough for residents to return to their homes.

After the speeches, the crowd returned to the area around Gate B, where volunteers were busy distributing dinner. Officials estimated there were around 10,000 people at the stadium.

They ate in an environment much more upbeat than the news reports. Rodney Stroup's band, Rodney & Company, played rock and roll (“This is better than getting paid,” Stroup said.) Toys for children, balloons and massages were provided.

Diapers, blankets, pillows and tents were aplenty, and some who donated foot had difficulty finding a place to put it.

Cindy Holt, who had been at the stadium since 6 a.m., leaned against stacks of bottled water while watching the news.

“They've done a great job of giving us what we need,” she said.

To transfer hundreds of cases of bottled water, 46 people formed what looked like an assembly line to take them from the outside of the stadium to lean them against a wall.

Soon after Hagrer found out he didn't have to work, he reserved a room in Mission Valley, giving him precious amenities: a bed, a private bathroom and a roof to protect him from the unpleasant air.

“You going to be here tomorrow?” asked Thomas Orred, a retired San Diego police officer volunteering at the stadium.